Permutation-lock.



F. W. JONES & L. GLASS,

PERMUTATION LOCK. APPLlcATloN man SEN-11,1916."

Patented sept. 25, 1917.

S) @KMS/Ow (7; Jd/Amf .in the county FREDERICK W. JONES AND LUTHER.GLASS, F MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

IPERMUTATION-LOGK.

Specification of Letters Yatent.

Patented sept. 25, 1917.

Application led September 11, 1916. Serial No. 119,420.

To aZZwLom it may concern:

Be it known that we, FREDERICK W. JONES and LUTHER' GLASS, both citizensof the United States, and residents of Milwaukee, of Milwaukee and Stateof Wisconsin, have invented certainvnew and useful Improvements inPermutation-Locks;

and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof.

The present invention relates to new and useful improvements inpermutation llocks, more particularly of that type having an electricalswitch associated therewith.

It is primarily the object of the invention to provide an exceedinglysimple and ei'ricient strncture of this nature, and it is moreparticularly an object to provide a permutation lock means for theswitch.

In the present arrangement it is contemplated to indicate the actuationof the permutation lock elements by a spring member engageable with aseries of peripheral recesses in one of the elements, and it is furtheran object to utilize this spring member as 'a means for holding thecontact members of the switch in engaging relation.

A still further object resides in the provision of an actuating arm forthe movable contact member which is resilient in nature to normallyprocure a spaced relation of the contact members when the lock meansdoes not operatively engage therewith.

With the above and other objects and advantages in view, the inventionresides more particularly in the novel combination, arrangement andformation of parts more particularly hereinafter described andparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through apermutation lock embodying the present invention, this view beingindicated by the line 1--1 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view the permutation lock on a plane atright angles to the plane of Fig. 1, as shown by the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a detail elevational view of the spindle connected' tumblerwheel, as indicated by the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings, theimprovedpermutation lock comprises a casing 5 having a removable frontwall 6 and having a wheel tumbler arbor 7 projecting inwardly from itsrear wall 8. The front wall 6 carries an through outwardly projectedIsleeve 9 in axial aline-l ment with the arbor 7, and rotatably mountedin this sleeve is the actuating shaft 10 of the tumbler wheel, which isprovided at its inner end-with an enlarged head p0rtion having anannular series of pins .11 projecting inwardly therefrom and engageablein corresponding sockets of an end tumbler y wheel 12 journaled on thearbor 7, the bore of this tumbler wheel being reduced at its outer endto engage the head of a bolt 13 which is passed longitudinally throughthe shaft 10` and threadedly engaged in a handle knob 14. The outerportion of the shaft 10 is reduced, to. space it from the sleeve 9 andthe knob 14 is provided with a sleeve 15 embracing the outer end of theshaft and pro'- vided with a spline connection 16 therewith. Rotatablymounted on the arbor 7 are a plurality of inner tumbler wheels 17 whichare spaced from each other and from the `end tumbler wheel 12 by washers18 having a spline or other non-rotatable connection with the arbor. Inthe usual manner of permutation locks, the adjacent ,faces of thetumbler wheels are provided with pairs of projections 19 adaptedto'successively abut the wheels upon rotating the actuating shaft 10.The inner tumbler wheels 17 are provided with transverse peripheralrecesses 2O and the outer tumbler wheel 12 is provided with a transverseperipheral recess 21, all adapted to aline by reason of such turningmovements of the tumbler wheels, the recess 21 of the outer wheel 12being provided with one wall extending radially of the wheel,

and with one wall eXtending substantially at a right angle to thisradial wall, whereby to procure respective labutting and cam actions onthe member engaged thereby.

Slidably mounted on the rear wall 8 of the casing, by reason ofengagement of its upper portion with guide ribs 22 on said wall is aplate 23 and this plate is provided with a vertical slot 24 throughwhich the arbor 7 extends. Secured to the bottom edge of this wall is aninsulation block 25 and this block carries a spring' contact switch 26which is secured thereto at its intermediate portion by the screws 27and which has -its end portion downwardly offset for engagement with contact members 28 carried by the casing. These Contact memberspreferably comprise cylindrical portions into which are inserted screws29 passed through insulated bushings 'to procure successive turningmovement ofy 30 in the easing wall, and these screws eX- tend outwardlyof the casing and have threaded thereon inner securing nuts 31 and wireclamping nuts 32.

For operating the sliding switch plate 23 by the lock structuredescribed, a spring arm 33 is secured to outstanding lugs 34 at thelower portion of the plate, and extends upwardly to a point above thehorizontal axial plane of the tumbler wheels and terminates in a lateralportion 35 resiliently urged against said tumbler portions. As will bereadily apparent, the tendency of spring' arm 33 is to ride around thetumbler wheels and thus normally retain the plate 23 upwardly fromengagement with members 28.

Taking up now the general operation of the device, the tumbler shaft 10is rotated alternately in opposite directions to successively aline therecesses of the tumbler wheels 12 and 17, and upon said recesses cominginto alinement, the portion 35 of the spring arm will engage therein.and subsequent movement of the shaftA will engagev the abuttin wall ofthe recess 21 with the arm, to sli` e the switch plate downwardlywhereby the Contact strip 26 will engage the Contact members 28, wherebythe switch is closed. To hold the switch in this closed position, theend tumbler' wheel 12 is provided at its outer'peripheral portion withan annular notched flange 36 which is engageable by one coiled end of aleaf spring 37 which is secured at its other end to the lcasing, itbeing noted that the switch plate is normally urged to a raised or openposition by the inward pressure of the spring arm 33,

plane of the tumbler wheel.

As will be readilypunderstood the arm 33 at all times tends to draw themember 23,v upwardly as before stated, and to prevent the upwardmovement of said member when "1 the arm33 is engaged in the alinedrecesses, a spring 37 exerts af rclati vely greater spring action thanthat of the spring arm to prevent the same from revolving-the tumblerwheels by means of this above mentioned spring action of the arm.

To open the switch, the shaft 10 is actuated to turn the end tumblerwheel whereby the cam face of its recess 2l will engage the laterallyturned portion 35 ol' the arm 53, to l'orr-e said portion out of thetumbler wheel recesses, continued movement of the end tumbler" wheelbeing transmitted to the inner tumbler wheels 1.7 whereby a registerine'relation of the tumbler wheel recesses may nol be again procured withouta knowledge of the con'ibination of the lock. It is noted that when thearm Iii-i is disengaged 'from the recesses, the spring' 37 has nooperative connection with the switch plate in that the arm 33 will befree to slide upon the curved surface. ol' the wheel 21, and the l mentin the notches of the flange exerted above the horizontal aXial platewill move by the resiliency of the arm 33 to a raised or open position.

The springI 37. by reason of its engage- 36, posdetermining thusobviating of providing indicating symbols of visual nature. It is notedthat the handle knob 14. is splined on the operating shaft 10, and toprovide for procuring a delinite initial position of the tumbler wheels12 and 17, in the operation of alining the reccsses of said wheels, theknob sleeve 15 is provided with a projection 538 ,engageable in a recess39 in the end of the sleeve 9 when the knob is moved inwardly, and theknob is normally urged against such movement by sesses the furtherfunction of the combination of the lock, the necessity ya spring 40disposed in the sleeve l) and bearing against the knob sleeve l5 andagainst the shoulder formed by reducine the outer' portion ofthe shaft10. Thus the knob may be rotated in one direction a mimber of times, andthenbypressing it inwardly during the latter portion of its rotation,interlocked with the sleeve 9 to rocure the initial position' of thetumbler wheels. By reason of the securcment of the end tumbler wheel 12to the shaft 10 by the bolt 13 and series of pins 11, it is noted thatthe combination of the lock structure may be changed as desired.

An' exceedingly simple permutation lock has thus been provided.4 whichmay be 'manipulated without the provision of a key. inasmuch as thepresent invention is designed for general application no specific usethereofl need be described, although it finds particular application inconnection with automobile circuits, and thc circuits of storefrontlights.

lVhatY is claimed is:

1. .I device of the character described including a. plurality oftumbler wheels provided with recesscs adapted lo aline. a slidablemember, a resilient arm carried bythe slidable member and engaging thetumbler wheels .above the, axis thereof to normally urge the saidslidable member upwardly, said resilient arm being engageable in saidrecesses when alined, aml means engaging" one of the tumbler wheels forovercoming` the tendency of the resilient arm to move the slidablemember upwardly.

2. A' device of the character described including a. plurality oftumbler wheels proeluding a plurality of tumbler wheels provided withrecesses adapted to aline, a slid- `able member, a resilient arm carriedby the s .'slidable member and engaging the tumbler wheels above theaxis thereof to normally urge the said slidable memberl upwardly, saidresilient arm being 'engageable in said recesses when alined, a notcheddisk carried by one of the tumbler wheels, and spring means engageablewith said disk for overcoming the tendency of the resilient arm to movethe slid'able member upwardly to4 retain said slidable member inoperative position.

i 4'. A device of thecharacter described including a plurality 'oftumbler wheels provided with recesses 'adapteditb aline, a slidablemember, a resilient arm'carriedby the slidable member` and lengaging thetumbler wheels above the axis thereof to normally urge'the saidslid'able member upwardly, said resilient arm being engageable in saidrecesses when alined, a notched disk carried by one of the tumblerWheels, and spring means having a relatively greater spring 25 actionthan said resilient arm and engaging l said disk and retaining saidmovable mem- FREDERICK w. JoNEs- LUTHER GLASS.

Witnesses:

FRANK L. RATGLIFFE, M. EpDowNEY.

